TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

The Supremes: “Merry Christmas”/Stevie Wonder: “Someday at Christmas.” Motown. AAD. As part of its 2-for-1 CD series, Motown has coupled Christmas albums from two of its biggest acts. The Supremes’ 1965 entry is a disappointment, with Diana Ross offering conventional renditions of holiday standards, rather than adapting them to the Supremes driving, big-beat R&B; style. Wonder, on the other hand, is a superb vocal stylist and his 1967 album offers several contemporary Christmas songs--such as the fetching title tune--along with the tried-and-true. Still, these are primarily for fans of the artists. Anyone else should wait for the dynamic Phil Spector Christmas album to appear on CD. Sound quality: good. 1/2